Albert Einstein's defined insanity as 'doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.' Well, what if the action was done by someone else? Additionally, what if there are new wrinkles to the experiment that suggest things could be different this time?
The Boston Celtics changed ownership this season, with a group led by Bill Chisholm taking over after a record-breaking $6.1 billion sale of the franchise. Shams Charania recently reported that it will not take long for the new owners to make their mark on this organization.
"The rest of the league is bracing for some level of change to come to the Celtics from their roster this offseason," Charania told ESPN viewers. "Sources have been telling me for weeks now that the Celtics will be exploring trade options in the offseason."
The league's number one insider explained that with five players scheduled to make $28 million or more next season, Boston is on pace for a historic salary bill, and that is not sustainable for the franchise. The Los Angeles Lakers should find the state of their rivals of great interest.
Doncic and Porzingis: Version 2.0
The Dallas Mavericks have already attempted to build their team around the combination of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. They failed. However, there is enough difference between how the dynamic could work this time around to offer reason for the Lakers to at least keep tabs on the availability of the Celtics center during the summer of 2025.
Porzingis, theoretically, ticks a lot of boxes for the Lakers on both the offensive and defensive end. The Latvian big man can attack the rim, space the floor, and protect the paint. Those are three areas in which the Lakers could use a boost.
However, that theory is quickly challenged by the practice of having already seen the pair of Doncic and Porzingis fail to mesh together in Dallas. The hope here comes from how the seven-footer has grown and adapted over the years.
Porzingis has proven to be an excellent third option behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in Boston. The NBA champion has embraced the 3-point heavy brand of basketball that the Celtics play.
These last two seasons with Boston have been two of the three highest ranking campaigns for Porzingis in terms of shots taken from beyond the arc. In the 2024-25, Porzingis is shooting a career-high 43.6 percent of his attempts from distance. 2023-24 ranks third for his playing days in the NBA, with a percentage of 39.0.
2023-24 also featured the highest percentage of shots taken at 0-3 feet for Porzingis. The big man has really embraced the idea of either getting his offense at the basket or from beyond the arc.
The two seasons in a Celtics jersey feature the two lowest percentages of shots taken from both 10 to 16 feet and 16 to 3-point. All of this is to say his adjustments on the offensive end should make him a much more natural fit for Doncic and what the Lakers need overall.
Porzingis' estimated cap hit of $30.7 million for the 2025-26 season make him an easy player for Los Angeles to match salaries for in a trade. The obvious concern with the talented center would be the injury history. However, at the very least, this could make him an easier acquisition on the trade market as a result.
Ultimately, exploring the idea of reviving the duo of Doncic and Porzingis feels less like insanity, and more like taking one man's trash in an attempt to turn it into treasure.
